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What’s so special about these books?

Christer Bergström – the author and publisher – is a colleague and friend who has written 25 books on World War Two subjects, the first one published in 1997. The two books shown above are a new two-volume series on the decisive campaign for the city of Stalingrad 1942-1943. Black Cross * Red Star is a revised and expanded multi-volume detailed examination of the air war between Germany and the Soviet Union from 1941-1945. The new volume 1 is now available and volume 2 will be available in the fall of 2023.

Stalingrad Volume 1 includes 6 maps that can be downloaded and enlarged for easier reference, as well as links to film clips that include combat footage of the war on the Eastern Front. Stalingrad Volume 1 also has 111 photos, many never before published. A huge, downloadable index makes it easy to locate military units, key persons, and locations in the book.

Stalingrad Volume 1 by Christer Bergström is much more accessible and more balanced than previous books on the subject that have come out in the past 40 years.

– David Parham, researcher/translator of German war diaries and documents who helped Dana Lombardy create the Streets of Stalingrad wargame released in 1979, 1982 and 2002

Stalingrad Volume 2 also has downloadable maps and links to film clips. It covers operations in the city itself and from the Soviet winter counteroffensive to the surrender of the Germans and Romanians in the pocket. Several myths are debunked as well as a critical analysis of the previous written history about the battle. 100+ photos, including many published for the first time.

“The second volume is just as well written and full of new information as the first.”

– Robert Peterson, A Wargamers Needful Things

The original first volume in the Black Cross * Red Star series began in 1999 and quickly sold out. The new 2021 BC*RS volume one has been updated and expanded – it has more than double the word count and 300+ photos, many from the personal albums of veteran pilots. It is similar in format to the Stalingrad books with links to film clips of the air war on the Eastern Front plus 6 downloadable maps and a huge downloadable index listing aviation units, pilots and other key personalities. BONUS: 15 color aircraft profiles!

Feedback on the 1999 edition of BC*RS:

Black Cross Red Star is absolutely “must” reading for anyone interested in the Eastern Front during WWII. Highly Recommended!
– Dave Williams at Aviation Booklist

Black Cross/Red Star belongs on the bookshelf of any serious student of aerial combat.
– Canadian Military History Book Review Supplement

Masterfully combines the combat experiences of both Soviet and German airmen into a coherent narrative.
– Richard R. Muller, Maxwell AFB, in Aerospace Power Journal

Primary source information – including information never seen before – all published in English

Although Christer is Swedish, his company Vaktel Förlag prints his books in English. He is fluent and eloquent in English and I want to use my Lombardy Studios company to expand Christer’s fan base. THESE ARE ALL TERRIFIC BOOKS.

The reason I am so impressed with his work is the amount of primary source research he has done in archives and interviewing veterans. This includes resource centers such as the National Archives in the UK, the Bundesarchiv in Germany, the Russia State Archive, the US National Archives, and US Air Force Library. MANY OF THE PHOTOS AND INFORMATION APPEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ENGLISH IN THESE BOOKS.